Hello! My name is Maya Gonzales. On October 8, I had an interview with Bruce Coville. I asked him questions about his life as a writer. Here is the conversation we had.

Q: What motivated you to become a writer? A: I liked books and the emotions in them, so I wanted to make others feel the same as I did.

Q: Where and how do you get your ideas for books? A: Ideas come when they want to. I keep my ideas in my idea folder. So, when I want to write a story, I go back to my idea folder.

Q: How do you record or remember your ideas? A: I do not only have a literal folder, but I also have a computer file that I keep my ideas in.

Q: What inspires you to write? A: I do my work because I need to make a living to pay for supplies for my family.

Q: Kids in my class are creating stories. What advice would you give to a kid who wants to create a book? A: Read as much as you can! When you write, you will see yourself gaining skill. Look back at your story/text (use revision). Save every idea you have! A story is not written, it is re-written.

Q: I’ve noticed there are similar creatures such as magical toads and magical elderly men in your fantasy books. Is there something special about these creatures?A: I’ve just always liked fantasy. You should always write about what you want to read. These are just creatures I want to read about.

Q: What do you look for in a good book? A: I like good characters. I also want Ha-Wah-Yikes! That means I want to laugh, cry, be surprised.

Q: What kind of people do you meet as an author? A: I meet strange people, professionals, nice people, etc. But mostly we authors are alone.

Q: When you’re with other authors, what kind of things do you talk about?A: We complain, share stories, talk about our pets, business, we do writer scripts and talk about normal things and situations. We are like anyone else.

Q: Tell me about when you were in elementary school. A: In school we read, but although I loved to read, we did not write. I did not ever think of becoming a writer until the sixth grade.

Q: If you could invent anything, what would it be, and why? A: I would make a machine that could feed everyone because there are people who can’t feed their own family.